What the rain knows
by yukiro-fayt1
Summary: WARNING: This is a Fenders (Fenris/Anders) fanfic, so if you dislike man/man, then this isn't the story for you. Anders finds the rain in Kirkwall to be both annoying, yet relaxing, almost like a certain elf companion he has gotten to know since coming to the city. It could be said the two hate each other, yet deep down Anders cares. But does Fenris care more than he admits?
1. Chapter 1

The sound was both infuriating and yet somehow calming all at the same time. Anders couldn't describe just how that made sense, but it just did. He wished it would stop, yet at the same time he was glad for it. Natural and beautiful, yet annoyingly loud.  
That was how the rain always sounded in Darktown. Though this part of the city was always damp and wet, even when it wasn't raining, so it made little difference in the long scheme of things.  
The day had been a slow one, patients had come and gone, and there really had been a fair few of them, but most illness' had been easily treatable. This left Anders with far fewer people to take care of as the day went on. In fact, he hadn't had another person come into the clinic for at least half an hour. Though it felt like much longer, it was hard to tell down in the darker streets of the city; if you could call them streets.  
_Drip  
_Another collected drop of rainwater fell from the concrete roof above and landed down Anders neck, causing him to give an irritated cry of distress as he tried to worm his hand down the back of his neck to try and dry, and of course, warm it back up again.

"What _**are **_you doing, you idiot?" Came a familiar, cold voice from the doorway of the clinic, though Anders couldn't quite see who it was for the moment as he had his back turned and his hand still half way down his robes. He had to admit, he probably did look a little silly.  
"This is foolish. I can take care of my own wounds, I do not need _that mage_ to heal them." Another familiar voice joined in with the first.  
"Ah, Fenris... good to see-or hear you, too." Anders said, rolling his eyes upwards. He turned around, and stopped fidgeting with the back of his neck, finally feeling content again without the coldness of the water upon it. "And Hawke... always a pleasure..." he said, trying to sound enthusiastic, though the woman called Hawke could tell he was forcing it.

There was an awkward silence between the three of them for a moment or two before Hawke sighed and finally helped Fenris further into the clinic. She brushed her raven-black hair out of her eyes and supported her elf companion onto one of the cots.  
Anders could see that the snow-white haired elf had inured his leg, it was hard to miss the arrow stuck out of it. It would be an easy fix, really.

"I'll see you later, Fenris." Hawke said as she gave Anders a wry look for a moment. "Sebastian wants my help with something, so I'll leave you to... _**his **_care."  
Anders winced as the female used _that _tone when she addressed him. They weren't exactly the best of friends, but she seemed to trust him enough with his healing spells. Anders put it down to the fact that Hawke's sister was also a mage, and thus Hawke wasn't as hateful towards mages as some people could be. Still, the woman was pro-Templar and to Anders, this wasn't a good thing.  
Though he admired her loyalty to not turn him into the Templar's, even if she disliked him being an apostate. He felt she was a hypocrite, but they all were, to some extent.  
Her elf friend gave a nod of his head, though he seemed less than pleased with being left alone with Anders. He wondered why Fenris was even agreeing to it in the first place. The elf hated Anders a great deal more than even Hawke did.

"So..." Anders began as Hawke vanished out of the clinic, leaving Fenris and himself alone. The arrow looked like it had wedged itself pretty deeply into the elf's leg, how he had managed to get all the way down into Darktown and the clinic on it, Anders could not imagine.  
'_Then again, that is just like Fenris.'_ Anders thought to himself, shaking his head as a slight smirk spread over his face.

Fenris didn't appear as amused as Anders did, "what is so amusing, _**mage**_?" He snapped, giving the other man a sharp glare.  
Shaking his head, Anders knelt down in front of the elf and glanced up at Fenris, "is everything I do a problem, Fenris?" He asked, light brown eyes showing his annoyance, though he kept his tone soft. He was a little irked that the elf always hated everything he would do, just because he was a mage, but at the same time he had come to care about the broody elf to some extent.  
Fenris snorted, turned his head aside and folded his arms, "you are a mage," he said simply, as if this alone was enough of a reason. Though after a moment, he relaxed a little and glanced back to Anders; who was of course even more irritated. Fenris sighed, almost irritably as if he was the one who had been insulted, though he did offer a quiet, "though I do appreciate your aid with my wounds. I suppose."

"You 'suppose'? Well, doesn't that make me feel _**all**_ better." Anders said, sarcastically. He took hold of the arrow and gave it a quick tug, pulling it free from the elf's leg. An act of defiance at the elf's insufferable attitude.  
Fenris gave a pained growl, though before he could say or do anything to Anders; the mage had already put a hand over the wound and was in the process of healing the wound with his magic. "Sorry about that," he said, almost smugly, "it'll heal up fine, and you should be able to walk on it again soon."

"You did that on purpose!" Fenris scowled, with anger.  
Anders tried to hold back a chuckle, "of course, I had to pull it out otherwise your leg will rot with that thing in there." He explained, his hands made a rather dramatic motion as he shrugged a little, "besides, if I went slow, it would have hurt you more."

Fenris huffed and looked away from the mage again, his face turning slightly pink in colour. He had to admit, Anders might have a point. However his pride would never allow him to say so openly.  
"Well then," Anders began as he turned around, his back facing Fenris, "once you're rested you should be able to walk on it without too much trouble, but you'll want to take it easy for a while."  
Another huff came from Fenris.  
"Or, you could limp your way back to that mansion you're squatting in, I suppose." Anders continued, knowing full well what Fenris was thinking. It wasn't as though the two had known each other for too long, but Anders knew Fenris enough to know when he would rather suffer being in pain than to sit quietly in Anders company.  
It had been at least three years since the Deep road's adventure, which was long enough to understand one another, even if it was only a little.

Giving Anders a dubious look, Fenris stood slowly, the pain shot through his leg which caused him to wince. Though he refused to cry out in pain. Even though the mage had been thorough with his spell, he had been right about not walking on it. Magic could heal most wounds, but that didn't mean it could take away the pain, or heal especially bad wounds.  
Anders gave a sigh as he watched Fenris force himself to take a couple of steps forward, limping.  
When Fenris almost fell over, Anders rushed over to his side and just managed to catch the elf, offering his arm and shoulder for the other to lean upon.  
"I do not need _**your **_aid, mage," Fenris, snapped, his cold eyes glared at Anders.  
"You keep saying that, yet who was it that helped you just now?" Anders retorted, rolling his eyes upwards, "hate me all you like, but if you're not going to rest on a cot here, then you will need help getting home, and since there is no one else here right now, that means you are stuck with me. Like it or not, I am going to help you."

Fenris seemed to give in, though not without complaint. Anders knew he was less than pleased to have Anders help him even more so than he already had, but there really was little choice in the matter.  
"Fine..." the elf said, reluctantly, "help me if you must."


	2. Chapter 2

Anders wasn't sure how long it had been, only that it had seemed like an eternity since Fenris had began to glare at him. It wasn't as if Anders had said anything in particular to the elf. Heck, he wasn't even sure if he had done anything at all, so then, why was Fenris glaring so intently at him for?  
It made the mage a little uneasy, not to mention the awkward silence mixed in with the tension. Just what was the elf's problem this time? Anders had only popped over to check on the broody elf, make sure his leg was healing correctly and that he was in no pain. Yet Anders hadn't even spoken two words and already Fenris hated his every movement.  
Anders shifted on the spot awkwardly before glancing aside and rubbing his neck. 'This isn't awkward at all..._'_ he thought sarcastically to himself.  
Justice, who had been quiet since the other day; was now complaining, '_if he is so ungrateful, then you should just let his leg fester. He hates all mages, you included. So why bother yourself with such a man?__**'  
**_Anders had to somewhat agree with Justice to some extent, but he wasn't heartless. Fenris could have turned him into the Templars at any time, yet he hadn't even so much as entertained the idea – or as far as Anders could tell, at any rate.  
That had to account for something, right?

"So..." Anders began, trying to break the silence, "how is your leg?"  
The glare continued from the elf, however he did give a grumbled response to Anders. He took that as a sign that Fenris was doing well enough. If the elf could act his usual annoying self, then he was recovering just fine. Still, Anders wanted to make sure.  
"Hawke was worried, so I offered to check up on you." Anders offered, hoping Fenris would calm himself if he thought Hawke had sent Anders.  
It worked, for now, and Fenris took his glare to one of the walls in the mansion. However the tension between them was still strong enough to slice it with a butter knife. Anders wondered if it would be this way forever. It wasn't as if he particularly minded if he was hated by most people, but for some odd reason, he wanted Fenris to accept him.

"Careful, _**mage**_, that hurt. I swear you are doing it deliberately!" Fenris snapped, causing Anders to come back from his thoughts for a moment. He had accidentally hurt Fenris' leg while he untied the bandages around it.  
Anders gave an apologetic look, "sorry Fenris..." he said somewhat softly to the elf and proceeded to take better care with the bandages as he unwrapped them from the elf's leg.  
Once they were off, Anders carefully checked Fenris' wound for any sign of infection. Once again, his healing had done a bang up job if he didn't say so himself. He did say so, of course. Anders had pride in his healing magic above all other spells he knew.

"Looks like you'll be fine. My magic has done what it needed to do, though you'll still feel sore while walking, so it'll be best if you to stay off of it as much as you can." Anders said putting the old cloth into one of the bins – which looked as if Fenris hadn't emptied it in a few days. Though compared to the rest of the place, it seemed to matter very little. The mansion was just as run-down as it had been when Fenris first arrived in Kirkwall.  
Anders was positive that Fenris hadn't even cleaned up once in the couple of years he'd been here. He couldn't complain about Fenris' living conditions since his own were not that grand either, but still, part of Anders wanted to clean the place up.

Fenris watched Anders between narrowed eyes, he didn't trust the mage one little bit and having said mage snooping about the room as he was; annoyed the elf.  
"What are you plotting, mage?" He asked suspiciously, eyeing Anders warily.  
Anders raised a brow and glanced back to Fenris before shaking his head, "nothing, just wondering if you've ever cleaned this place up at all."  
"Don't see how that is any of your business," the elf retorted.  
Anders sighed a bit before finally shrugging his shoulders and taking a few steps to the door. He paused and glanced over his shoulder to peer at Fenris from over his shoulder, "it isn't, you're right. But I'm worried about your leg healing in this environment. It could get infected with all the dust, not to mention everything else that is lingering in this place. If anything happens to you, I'll be the one Hawke will blame."  
Anders held back a smirk when he noticed Fenris' reaction. It was just what he had planned on happening. Fenris cared deeply about Hawke, even if she did not even notice the elf's feelings for her. To Hawke, Fenris was nothing more than a friend. More than what Anders was towards her, at least. It made Anders a little jealous of the elf, but at the same time, he had began to accept it.  
Hawke had eyes only for Sebastian, who she hadn't long met, yet it was time enough for her to fall in love with him. Perhaps she liked chaste men more than actual men, Anders couldn't tell. Neither did he want to find out. Well, maybe that wasn't exactly true. Anders did want Hawke to accept him as a friend, but he knew not to force the issue. Besides, he had a lot to keep him busy.

"Do whatever you want." Fenris finally said, annoyed that the mage always seemed to use Hawke against him.  
Anders nodded, and glanced around for a moment or two, "I'll just tidy up and clean this room." He said, looking back to the elf. "At least then you can rest in a clean room, if nothing else."


	3. Chapter 3

It had been a few days since Anders started to come over to the mansion that Fenris had squatted in. It was still a complete mess, bodies here and there – but Anders had managed to at least tidy the bedroom up a bit more and had moved the bodies into one of the unused rooms for now, though he truly wanted to remove them completely. That would be an almost impossible task in high-town, it was always busy here, even in the nights. Though it was a different kind of busy in the night, especially with the fake guards.  
Anders figured he'd sort something out, but for now he would worry about Fenris' injury, the bodies weren't going anywhere and the mansion was big enough for them to be put far away from the bedroom.  
Fenris was his usual scowling self when Anders came into the room and he ignored Anders attempts at being friendly as per-usual.  
Anders ignored the elf's attitude, he was becoming accustomed to such behaviour by now.  
"Well," the mage began, "the bandages can come off now, but I still want you to take it easy." He said softly, hoping the angry elf would listen for a change.  
A grunt was the reply.  
Anders gave a slight sigh and began to take the bandages off of Fenris' leg, he was gentle with the process; something the elf hadn't expected, though he said no words of thanks to the mage. Neither for being gentle, nor for the actual assistance in healing his leg. He was too proud and much to stubborn for that.  
Anders gave Fenris' leg a very close look over, making sure it had healed correctly. He brushed a finger over the scarred skin, causing the elf to give a mumbled sound. Apparently Fenris was a little sensitive on his leg. Anders found it amusing, though he did not say anything about it.  
Fenris' reaction amused Anders a lot though and he purposely touched the elf's leg again, the motion soft.

"Will you stop that," the elf complained, his cheeks flushed somewhat. He gave an irritated sound and peered down at Anders in anger.  
The mage chuckled, "at least you know you have feeling in the leg again," he mused, "I needed to know how well it has healed and this is a good way to find out."  
The elf gave a look that could kill, "touch me like that again and I will cut you down, mage," he growled.  
Anders held up both hands, feigning ignorance of having tickled the Fenris' leg. He gave a rouge grin to the elf, whom gave a large thwack to Anders' head with his fist.  
The mage held his head, groaning in pain, "it was just in jest! Can you not take a joke?" He complained. Though he knew the answer to that already.  
He made a move to stand, sighing as the waved off a glare from Fenris, "fine, fine. I'll leave you alone now, you shouldn't need 'the mage' any more. Maker knows we only ever do horrible things to people, right?" Anders said somewhat irritated as he began to march off. A hand on his robes yanked him back softly, much to his surprise.

Fenris said nothing for a while and there was a rather awkward silence between them before the elf finally made a sound, "...thank you, mage..." he uttered.  
Anders wasn't too sure he had heard the elf properly, but he dared not ask Fenris to repeat himself. It was shock enough that he had thanked Anders for his healing magic.  
"You are welcome." Anders said almost fondly, he gave Fenris a kind look that caused the elf to look aside in an awkward manner.  
"T-this doesn't mean I _**like**_ you at all!" Fenris blurted out suddenly, "I'm just thankful I can stop relying on you!"  
Anders couldn't stifle a laughter, he held his hand to his lips in an attempt to hide the chuckle – but it was an effort made in vain.  
A growl escaped Fenris' lips as he glared at Anders, "what is so funny Anders!?"  
The mage shook his head, still chuckling, "no, it's nothing..." he paused, blinked once and looked back to the elf, "wait... did you just-"  
"N-no. I didn't. Go home already! Stupid mage!" Fenris shouted louder, a scowl clearly evident upon his features.

Anders shook his head slowly while smiling to himself. He hadn't misheard at all. Fenris had finally called him by name. He mused over the fact all the way back to his clinic in Darktown. Somehow it made him oddly overjoyed.


End file.
